Harmful effects of Blocked Drains

Posted on:
27 February 2017

Drains are useful in ensuring that you have a clean and dry sink, toilet, and bathroom. If these drains are blocked, you stand the risk of having an overflow of dirty water and may also lead to a small flood in your home. There are several harms that can come your way as a result of blocked drains.

Dirty Water

Water that is supposed to go through your drains is dirty. If your drains are blocked, it means you have dirty water floating around your home. The longer this dirty water stays, the more dangerous it becomes. Imagine a blocked toilet drain. Dirty water in such an environment becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

Diseases

A sewage overflow caused by blocked drains poses serious health risks to you and your family.

Peptic ulcer: Helicobacter pylori is the most common bacteria found in sewage systems and dirty water. The bacteria causes peptic ulcer. Symptoms of peptic ulcer disease include blood in stools, dizziness, abdominal pain, and difficulties in breathing.

Typhoid: This is another disease associated with dirty water. Your children are more vulnerable to typhoid than adults are. Some of the symptoms of the disease include headaches, constipation, and skin rashes on the chest and stomach.

Campylobacteriosis: This disease is caused by drinking dirty water. It can also be caused by handling infected human waste. Some of the symptoms of the disease include tiredness, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

Weaken your House

When your drains are blocked, it means that your plumbing system is compromised. Your used water is not channeled to where it is supposed to go. Instead, some of the stagnant water may find its way to the foundations and corners of your house. Accumulation of the water may weaken the structure of your home. As such, you may need to have expensive repairs of your home to restore its strength. More importantly, weakening of the house structure puts you and your family at risk.

Drain Cleaners

One of the reasons why you should avoid blocked drains at all costs is so that you do not have to use drain cleaners. Most drain cleaners you buy to unblock the drains are corrosive and highly toxic – and can even cause damage to your plumbing system. These cleaners contain substances such as sodium hydroxide – a substance that can cause respiratory irritations and chemical burns. If you have children, it becomes even riskier to use these products. You should avoid blocked drains to escape the dangers associated with using these drain cleaners.